British American Tobacco p.l.c. $BTI Shares Sold by Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio

Key Points

• The Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio drastically reduced its holdings in British American Tobacco p.l.c. by 99.6%, selling 564,219 shares during the second quarter, leaving it with only 2,005 shares valued at approximately $95,000.
• Other large investors, such as Ballentine Partners LLC and Fifth Third Bancorp, increased their positions in British American Tobacco by 12.1% and 47.6% respectively during the same quarter.
• Analyst ratings for British American Tobacco show mixed opinions, with five analysts giving a Buy rating and two assigning a Sell rating, resulting in a current consensus rating of "Hold" with a target price of $51.00.

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio cut its holdings in British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI - Free Report) by 99.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,005 shares of the company's stock after selling 564,219 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio's holdings in British American Tobacco were worth $95,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its position in shares of British American Tobacco by 12.1% in the second quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 13,780 shares of the company's stock valued at $652,000 after purchasing an additional 1,482 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in shares of British American Tobacco by 47.6% in the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 21,038 shares of the company's stock valued at $996,000 after purchasing an additional 6,785 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Equity Partners acquired a new stake in British American Tobacco during the second quarter worth approximately $245,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in British American Tobacco by 34.3% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,974 shares of the company's stock worth $425,000 after acquiring an additional 2,293 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its position in British American Tobacco by 66.9% during the second quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 56,520 shares of the company's stock worth $2,675,000 after acquiring an additional 22,654 shares during the last quarter. 16.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BTI. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research report on Friday, June 13th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of British American Tobacco in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley restated an "underweight" rating and set a $40.00 target price on shares of British American Tobacco in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded shares of British American Tobacco from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $51.00.

British American Tobacco Stock Performance

Shares of BTI stock opened at $52.03 on Wednesday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $55.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $48.94. British American Tobacco p.l.c. has a 52 week low of $34.17 and a 52 week high of $59.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market cap of $107.05 billion, a PE ratio of 10.68, a P/E/G ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.42.

British American Tobacco Company Profile

British American Tobacco p.l.c. engages in the provision of tobacco and nicotine products to consumers worldwide. It also offers vapour, heated, and modern oral nicotine products; combustible cigarettes; and traditional oral products, such as snus and moist snuff. The company offers its products under the Vuse, glo, Velo, Grizzly, Kodiak, Dunhill, Kent, Lucky Strike, Pall Mall, Rothmans, Camel, Natural American Spirit, Newport, Vogue, Viceroy, Kool, Peter Stuyvesant, Craven A, State Express 555 and Shuang Xi brands.

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